UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JACKSON

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF GEORGIA
MACON DIVISION
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 	:
: 	Case No. 5:26-cr-15 (MTT)
v. 	:
:
DERRICK JACKSON, 	:
:
Defendant 	:
_________________________________ :
ORDER REGARDING SELF-REPRESENTATION
On September 18, 3026, Defendant Mihir Patel filed a pro se motion to terminate
his appointed counsel and to proceed without counsel, representing himself. The Court
conducted an inquiry pursuant to Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806 (1975), on October 9,
2026. The Court advised the Defendant of the charges against him, the advantages of being
represented by a lawyer, and the disadvantages of self-representation. 	The Court inquired
into the Defendant’s background, training, education and mental state. 	Defendant was
provided with a written notice of the dangers and disadvantages of self-representation. A
copy of that notice is attached to this Order as an exhibit. The Court went through each of
the questions and statements in the notice and confirmed that Defendant was aware of the
dangers of self-representation. Finally, the Court advised Defendant that a trained lawyer
would be able to represent him better than he could represent himself and that it was
unwise to try to represent himself. At the conclusion of the colloquy, Defendant confirmed
that he intended to proceed representing himself.
Case 5:26-cr-00015-MTT-CHW Document 32 Filed 10/14/26 Page 1 of 2

Based on Defendant’s responses to this colloquy, the Court hereby finds that the
Defendant has knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waived the Constitutional right to
counsel 	and 	likewise 	has 	knowingly, 	intelligently 	and 	voluntarily 	invoked 	his
Constitutional right to represent himself in this criminal proceeding. Defendant’s motion to
appoint counsel (Doc. 68) is therefore TERMINATED as moot.
SO ORDERED, this the 14th day of October, 2026.
s/ Charles H. Weigle
Charles H. Weigle
United States Magistrate Judge
Case 5:26-cr-00015-MTT-CHW Document 32 Filed 10/14/26 Page 2 of 2